Silent Musings
by Mellie E
Summary: Andros thinks about life, friends, family and Ashley. One-shot.


**Silent Musings**

A Power Rangers in Space fanfiction by Mellie Erdmann

Summary: Andros thinks about life, friends, family and Ashley. One-shot. It takes place just after the end of Countdown to Destruction, Part II.

A/N: A one-shot I wrote a long time ago. Beware of tooth-aching fluff, especially if Andros is thinking of Ashley. A special nod to Starhawk and Tsukino Akume, who have me convinced Rangers should have sleepovers as often as possible.

* * *

The Megaship was relatively quiet tonight, Andros thought, listening carefully. The ship was never truly silent, though. There was always the sound of the engines humming in the background and every now and then, if one was paying enough attention, one would be able to hear the noise of the environmental systems in action, keeping the internal atmosphere of the Megaship within habitable levels. And seeing as D.E.C.A. didn't have the need for sleep, she usually ran scans at night, so anyone passing by the Bridge would hear the beeping sounds of the ship's computer.

Listening to the sound of his boots hitting the metal floors as he walked away from the Rangers' living quarters on Megadeck 2 and toward the SimuDeck on Megadeck 5, Andros mused the Megaship was never this quiet while the former Turbo Rangers were awake. He could hardly find his peace and quiet anymore, because there was always one of them wherever he went. Surprisingly, he didn't mind it nearly half as much as he thought he would have. A few months ago, the mere idea of sharing _his_ ship with four strangers who knew nothing about space and a sentient automaton would have him clearly unhappy (and glaring) at the unfortunate soul to suggest it.

Not that he had been happy to return home from his scouting mission to find said four strangers and one sentient automaton poking around his ship. Oh, no, he hadn't been happy. Shocked, yes. Scared, quite possibly (though he'd never admit that to anyone – not even Zhane. His best friend had too big a mouth for his own good). Annoyed, certainly – especially with D.E.C.A., who had a rather odd compulsion to meddle in his affairs. Irritated, most definitely. But no, not happy.

He had helped them and fixed their robot before dropping them off in the first planet he could. He hadn't expected Alpha 6 to stay behind to guilt him (with the ever present help of D.E.C.A.) into going back to find the Turbo Rangers. He hadn't really thought it through when he gave them the morphers. Andros had just done it – which was an abnormality in itself. He _never_ did things without thinking them through. He usually ignored the risks, yes, but he knew them. He believed it to be a Red Ranger trait. When TJ had asked about it later, he had mumbled a poorly thought excuse, shrugged and glared, effectively making the former Red Turbo Ranger walk away.

For weeks that had been his defense mechanism. He was cold, rude, glared frequently and barked rules and orders left and right – anything to get them to leave him alone, even if they ended up hating him in the process. He only changed during the battles. Instead of the cold alien who owned the Megaship, he turned into a harsh commander who didn't accept mistakes. He'd make them practice with their weapons, train the movements and spar with each other for hours on end, hoping to increase their fighting proficiency. He had given them almost no room to approach him and yet they kept inviting him to join them whenever they went out – the park, the Surf Spot, the beach, it didn't seem to matter.

He didn't know exactly when he started thinking of them as teammates and friends rather than nuisances to his lifestyle. It hadn't happened overnight, he knew that for sure. It had been a slow process, filled with highs and lows and repeated cycles. He'd try to shut them out, one of them (or, in occasion, all of them) would pester him until he agreed to go down to Earth with the group, they'd have fun for a while, Astronema would attack, he'd remember Karone, Zhane and his first Ranger team and try to shut _this_ team out again. Then one of them would track him down and annoy him until he agreed to leave the Megaship and join them in whatever outing they were planning this time and the cycle would repeat itself. Over and over again. Until he stopped trying. Why should he try if they wouldn't leave him alone anyway? And, quite honestly, he was getting tired. While he had always been a reserved, somewhat shy person, he had never been one to shut out all human companionship. Until Dark Specter attacked KO-35.

Somewhere along the line, he dropped the act. They had taken over his ship and turned his silent world upside down already, it wouldn't kill him to be nice to them. Still, he was careful not to let them get too close. Karone had been close to him and she had been kidnapped. His parents had died in the first attacks to his home world. His first team stepped down after the first waves of the attack, when Eole lost his life. And Zhane, the only one to remain with him then, had to be put in cryogenic sleep to stay alive. One way or another, he had lost everyone he loved. Andros had been determined not to let anyone get too close ever again. That way, it wouldn't matter when bad things happened to people. He wouldn't hurt so much then.

He didn't know how, but they had slipped between the small cracks of the icy walls he had built around his heart (and here he paused his trek to Megadeck 5 for a moment, making a face at the overly sentimental metaphor). Nevertheless, it was the truth. While he focused on keeping them away and finding Karone while he was not fighting Astronema and Dark Specter, they had put all of their efforts into befriending him.

His lonely days crumbled to dust. It was good to have friends. Cassie, Carlos, TJ and Ashley had helped him go on even when everything seemed hopeless. It he was completely honest with himself, they had saved his life more times than he wanted to admit – and in more ways than one. He didn't know how long he would have lasted without them, but he doubted he'd ever see the end of the war against Dark Specter. A person cannot live without companionship. And, truthfully, he couldn't be happier.

Or so he thought. The day Zhane returned to the world of the living had showed him three things. First, there was hope for him yet. Second, he had been wrong. He was happier than he had been now that his best friend had joined them. And third, he was being stupid.

It had taken Zhane less than forty five seconds after properly meeting Ashley to start flirting with her and he had spent months with her without doing anything.

Don't get him wrong, though. Andros may have spent two years traveling around space with only D.E.C.A. for company, but he wasn't completely stupid. He knew what was happening between him and the Yellow Ranger. He had seen the looks she gave him, he had seen the smiles and embarrassed blushes. He had even returned them. He had also noticed she was the one who usually went out of her way to make him feel at ease amongst them and he was well aware he always seemed to agree to accompany them wherever the team wanted to go if she was the one to invite him, thank you very much. He had a sneaky suspicion Carlos, TJ and Cassie knew it too, considering the absurd amount of times Ashley had been the one to fetch him for their outings.

He knew why too. How could he not? Yes, he had denied it viciously to Zhane when the Silver Ranger had questioned him about it, but that had only made Zhane laugh and tell him to ask her out. He had basically admitted to himself he was in love with her the night he invited her to see Halley's Comet with him.

Their relationship had slowly progressed from there, even if they still danced around their feelings. He remembered her asking, quite bluntly, why he liked her one day. He'd been surprised and couldn't for the life of him recall what he answered then. Andros supposed it was something along the lines of 'because you're you' or other overly sentimental (and very true) line like that. She hadn't pressed the issue and Andros was glad. He couldn't very well tell her the real answer to that question.

He couldn't tell her it was _because._

Because she smiled.

Because she laughed.

Because she had poked him the first time they met and almost asked why he wasn't a lizard.

Because she wasn't intimidated by him. Well, not nearly as much as the others seemed to be, anyway.

Because she wasn't afraid to use a hammer and tear the walls he had built around him to the ground.

Because she always went out of her way to make him feel comfortable with the rest of the team.

Because she ignored his glares and bad mood whenever she thought he needed a friend – which was quite often, now that he thought of it. She was usually right too.

Because even after all that, she still managed to respect his privacy and need for solitude.

Because she insisted on pestering him whenever she though he was being a cranky hermit – again, way too often.

Because she had a kind and caring nature. She was bubbly, cheerful and filled with life. Because she was innocent and naïve, just like his sister was supposed to have been at her age.

Because she was ridiculously optimistic. She had always believed they would succeed, even in the darkest hours of their battles. She had been right too.

Because he had been more than a little annoyed and might have been outright jealous when she told her grandmother she was dating Carlos of all people. I mean, really, couldn't she had said _his_ name?

Because every time she looked at one of the other boys hanging around the park or the Surf Spot and smiled, he wished she was smiling at him.

Because he had seen her practicing her cheerleading moves and it marveled him to see her body moving through the air and twisting that way. He had never seen anything quite like it.

Because he had seen Zhane trying to teach her telekinesis and _that_ had been like piercing a knife into his stomach and twisting it a few times. And because _he_ had been the one to succeed where Zhane had failed – her first successful use of telekinesis had been with him, not with his best friend.

Because they _had_ watched Halley's Comet together.

Because she taught him to play pool. It was now one of his favorite activities, but he only enjoyed it so much if he was playing against Ashley.

Because she had helped him search for Karone.

Because she had listened to him during those long nights on the Bridge, refusing to go back to sleep if he was remaining behind.

Because she had hugged him on her birthday and he hadn't seen her take the necklace he had given her off yet.

Because he had actually gone down to KO-35 to find the yellow stone for her birthday present, regardless of the memories it might bring.

Because she had accepted and welcomed Karone into their midst when he – no, they – finally found his missing sister.

Because she had been there when Karone had been taken from him again.

Because they went on several dates together – enough said about that.

Because she once fed her with her own chopsticks.

Because she refused to say goodbye when she caught him sneaking away the night of their last battle. And because she let him go that night.

Because saying goodbye to her on KO-35 had been one of the hardest things he had ever done – as far as he was concerned, it came right after putting Zhane in cryogenic sleep, right above fighting a sister who wanted to kill him and tied with breaking Zordon's energy tube and carrying said sister's limp body out of the Dark Fortress.

Because saying goodbye then had been one of the stupidest things he had ever done too – and he _had_ done some pretty stupid things over the years.

Because he wanted her.

Because he needed her.

Because… Because... Because she was Ashley Hammond of Earth, the Yellow Ranger, and he couldn't imagine life without her or their meddlesome friends anymore.

Andros stopped a moment to stare at the black expansion of space through one of the windows and closed his eyes. Yes, saying goodbye to Ashley on KO-35, knowing they would probably never see each other again if he stayed had been one of the dumbest things he had ever done.

He recalled Ashley's sad expression as the hatch closed, separating them. His wasn't much different, he was just better at hiding it. Karone had shot him a strange look, a mixture of worry, annoyance and exasperation. Even she, who had grown up without knowing all that much about love (and disdaining what she did know), knew he was making a mistake.

Earlier that day the siblings had talked and she told him in no uncertain terms that KO-35 wasn't home for her anymore – it hadn't been for more than ten years. KO-35 still thought of her as the little blonde girl who had been kidnapped by Darkonda and she wasn't that little girl anymore. She wished to return to Earth with their friends, but she also wished to stay with him, so if he chose to stay, then so would she. Secretly, he thought she was afraid of the reaction she would get on Earth if they returned. She had been the one to nearly conquer the planet after all.

"Ashley once told me home is where the heart is, Andros. Mine is with you. Where is yours?"

Karone's words echoed in his mind now as clearly as they had that day. Coupled with Zhane's raised eyebrows and face expression, which told him his friend thought he was being an idiot, they had helped him realize the mistake he had made.

Andros never saw the smiles Zhane and Karone exchanged as he changed his mind. He barely saw them follow him into the Megaship. His mind was focused on Ashley.

"My home is with you guys."

The words he had told the surprised and delighted Rangers were true, he thought as he stopped just inside the SimuDeck. The scene he met was one he had seen before, but not in such a fashion. It was Angel Grove Park at night, with a clear sky and many stars twinkling in the sky.

Seven sleeping bags were strewn over the place and everyone else was already there. The Red Ranger noticed no one wore their uniforms, but were all clad in what Cassie had once called their "socially accepted sleeping attire": a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants for Carlos, white muscle shirt and blue sweatpants for TJ, slightly oversized pink shirt and white shorts for Cassie, one of her old practice shirts and loose pajama pants for Ashley, gray sweats and white shirt for Zhane and a simple, colorful pink, white and purple pajama for Karone. That one had been a gift from the girls, he was sure.

He smiled, taking in their happy expressions and relaxed behavior. Carlos and TJ were arguing heatedly over sports again and by the scowl on Carlos' face, TJ had just proclaimed the superiority of baseball over football once more. Ashley and Cassie were listening to, and laughing hysterically because of, one of Zhane's outrageous retellings. Karone just watched them all from where she was lying on her stomach, hands supporting her head and a contended smile playing on her lips.

Yes, thought Andros, his own smile spreading across his face as he walked in and dropped unceremoniously between Ashley and Karone. He was home.


End file.
